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Steel Curtain Yields 'Substantial' Weapons Caches

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2005  Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines have found numerous weapons caches - 17 of which were "substantial in size" -- during the four days of Operation Steel Curtain in Iraq's Anbar province, military officials reported today.

Weapons, munitions and bomb-making material for the construction of roadside and car bombs have been some of the more commonly found items at the cache sites, officials said. One cache discovered in central Husaybah today consisted of large amounts of medical supplies and rocket-propelled grenades and launchers.

Also, on the southern outskirts of the Iraqi-Syrian border town today, Marines discovered a corpse of a man who had been bound, gagged and shot through the head. The identity of the man is unknown, officials said.

Iraqi scout platoons assigned to the combat units clearing the city, known as Desert Protectors, continue to assist both Iraqi and U.S. forces, officials said. Their familiarity with the region, local tribes and dialects allows these scouts to pick out suspicious individuals for further questioning, officials explained.

Coalition forces have detained about 180 men for questioning about suspected ties to the insurgency since Steel Curtain began on Nov. 5.